Harmattan overview
MeeGo 1.2 Harmattan by Nokia (often simply referred to as 'Harmattan' in the developer documentation) is a mature, feature-rich software platform designed to fit Nokia N9. Harmattan is also one of the most open mobile software platforms available. The underlying platform is open source, the tooling is open source, and most of the application frameworks are open source.
The Harmattan device focuses on beautiful and fashionable design, offering the kind of holistic user experience that is only possible when the user interface is truly integrated with the physical features of the device. You can use the Harmattan device to test and preview applications that you develop for style-conscious users.
Wide range of tools
For developing applications for the Harmattan device, you can select the software development environment that best matches your personal preferences. The Qt SDK is the recommended choice, as it allows you to easily create great-looking applications using the state-of-the-art Qt application framework and IDE. You just need to install the Harmattan target to extend the Qt SDK's capabilities to cover the Harmattan platform.
If you want to be even more adventurous and creative, and happen to possess the advanced skills or the time to acquire them, you can use Harmattan Platform SDK to gain more comprehensive access to platform features. It provides the full Linux toolset (for example, autotools) and access resources for developing native applications and system-level components for Harmattan. If you prefer to develop applications using a command-line interface, MADDE terminal, that is also possible.
Regardless of the development environment that you select, Nokia Store, an established distribution channel for mobile applications, is available for distributing your applications. It has never been easier to design, develop, and distribute software for a new Nokia device.
Creative adventures
The Qt SDK, the awesome developer kit that Nokia offers for the developers among us, gets you started with developing applications for the brand new, high-quality Harmattan device. With Harmattan and the Qt SDK, the cycle from designing a cool application to publishing it for users to purchase is simple and easy.
You can be as creative as your heart desires in designing and developing the look and the functions of your applications. Go ahead and experiment – Harmattan can take it!
Nokia N9 UX Guidelines help you give your application the same beautiful appearance as out-of-the-box applications for Harmattan devices, but you can choose whether to follow them or not. It is your application, after all.
Second to none developer experience
Harmattan offers a wealth of developer technologies: Qt, QML, C++, Open GL, PulseAudio, GStreamer… the list goes on. Each element is hand-picked for robustness, performance and ease of use.
Qt Creator provides integrated visual designers for building user interfaces with widgets and QML. And more than that: Harmattan is the first product in the market to introduce Qt Quick Components to the world, components that make it easy for you to create a stylish user interface for your application with a native look and feel. Your applications and Harmattan will be a perfect match!
Qt itself is a mature open source development framework, with true cross-platform capabilities and offering a wide range of tools for your application development and user interface design. For more information, see Application development framework.
To see an overview of the components that the developer offering includes, see Developer offering overview.
MeeGo 1.2 Harmattan API Reference Library
MeeGo 1.2 Harmattan API is a subset of the Harmattan Platform API aimed for application developers. It is an essential part of the developer offering for Harmattan application development.
For further information, see MeeGo 1.2 Harmattan API Reference Library.
Harmattan application security
Harmattan platform has a number of security features that are important from the application developer's point of view. They allow you to develop software that takes appropriate precautions to protect the device-critical APIs and the user's private data. The MeeGo 1.2 Harmattan security framework provides the means to do the following:
- Protect device users from having their personal and private data and passwords stolen and used for malicious purposes.
- Prevent malware from misusing the device and incurring costs on the user.
- Prevent a user from accidentally breaking the device.
- Make sure that the platform meets the requirements set by third party software that requires a safe execution environment.
For further information, see Harmattan security.